az: And it's DONE. I could wash my hand from this ghost story now. I has too many WIPs. Random cookie/crossover at the end. Enjoy. XD Kinda forgot half what I intended to type but I at least remembered the last part.

Stay with me

Part 4 - New Life

Written by Izzu alias honou-no-izumi

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Ainosuke snorted.

"Not my time? Then what about you?"

The apparition that was of his older just shrugged. "Regardless... I'm already dead. You're not. So you should continue living. Live... for me."

Ainosuke cried.

"Why you're still so cruel? Why you're still leaving me behind? Why can't you let me follow you?"Yumeto stayed quiet. He turned his attention towards the door as Sayama Hitomi barged into the room again. He grinned as she took a seat on the other side of the bed.

"Ainosuke, I'm sorry... for slapping you. But you have to eat, ne? Oniichan wouldn't want you to be like this. You have to keep on living!" she said as Ainosuke stared behind her in disbelief, since he could still see his brother giving him the serious look.

"You heard her. Apologize... and promise to follow what she says from now on." Ainosuke stopped himself from gasping aloud as Yume's ghost (?) placed his hands on her shoulders. "I was hoping that your teacher could take care of you for me. That won't work unless you cooperated with the plan."

Hitomi suddenly shivered. "Whoa... the aircon sure is cold today. Ainosuke... Ainosuke? You hear me? Come to think... have you been talking to someone just now? I thought I heard voices..."

Ainosuke jerked. His brother gave him an amused look as if challenging him to speak. He sighed.

"I'm sorry..."

Hitomi looked up towards him. "Eh? Ainosuke-kun? Wha—?"

Ainosuke looked down towards his fingers. "I was wrong too. I shouldn't have... said those words. Brother... if he was still alive, would have kicked me as well if I had acted like that to him."

Ainosuke felt the cold air again behind his back as he heard that faint voice again.

"Right. So stay as a good boy now. If you do... perhaps I might come visit you again. In your dreams perhaps..."

The cold sensation started to disappear as Ainosuke heard no more from him. He gasped as he looked up—to find that his brother was no longer around inside the room. Suddenly... he collapsed into tears as Hitomi hurriedly wrapped her arms around him in panic.

xxx

The lone man looked up towards the clear skies before sighing. It has been a while.

He can hardly believed it that his sentence had actually been shortened due to him being in good behaviour. Guess some of those juries felt sympathy on him and felt that prolonging his sentence was not necessary. Since... despite some of the things he had done in the show, there were some of those who had their lives changed for the better because of him. Even though his actions were not completely in the right either.

But now that he was free again... what should he do with his remaining life? Is there anything else that he could allow himself to doing now?

He did not have planned anything after all...

xxx

Ainosuke sighed as he stared at the sky. It has been several weeks since he was discharged from the hospital and resumed life like normal. He had done what he had promised his brother, to continue living. And to think positively towards life.

He had done all that... and even allowed Sayama-sensei to be fussing about his well-being on a daily basis.

Yet, something was still missing from inside of him. Someone...

"Liar. You said you'd come visit me if I was a good boy..."

"Who was that? Someone special to you?"

Ainosuke scowled. "Of course! He's my older brother... and even if I shouldn't be expecting a miracle—he was already dead anyway...!"

Ainosuke gasped. That voice! He could always recognize that voice from anywhere...

...only to be froze stiff, staring at the man who happened to have sat on the same bench as he had... in this small park. The man cocked his head at Ainosuke.

"Something wrong? You looked like you've seen a ghost, kid."

Ainosuke blinked. It could not be a coincidence, could it? The man looked like him, but he was not him. It was the same face... but the hair was different. Even the way of speaking was different...

"W-who... are you?"

The man shrugged. "Just no one important. I don't even know where I should go even. So I thought to sit down and take a break. What's your problem, kid?"

Ainosuke glanced sideways. "My brother had died. Even if I promised him I'll keep on living... I still felt empty. I missed him so much."

"You shouldn't be thinking about it too much ya know? The dead won't come back to life even if you kept clinging to it. You won't be happy, and you might get a bad effect from it too. Might make the other people who cared for you to be sad as well..."

Ainosuke stared back at the man. How could this guy said those things to him, when he knew nothing?

"What about you then? Don't you have a home to go back too?"

He shrugged again. "Haa... I'm not important. Don't think I have any home to go ba—"

"HONMA! There you are! Why don't you call me to tell that you've already got out? I was looking all over for you!"

Ainosuke blinked in surprised as he watched the man jumped and turned towards the voice before shouting back at the newcomer. So his name was Honma...

"Kamiyama! What're you doing here?"

Said man started stomping towards the Honma. "Looking for you obviously! Come! Even if you don't want to go back to your home or anywhere you used to be staying before, you might as well stay with me. We'll discuss the other arrangement on your job at the TV station with your dad later..."

Honma pulled his hand from Kamiyama's grip. "My dad? What you're talking abou—"Ainosuke saw the man called Kamiyama gestured towards a car at the side of the park, where an older lady was waiting. Ainosuke turned back towards the two as Honma seemed to have deflated.

Honma rolled his eyes, "Did you guys made some kinda arrangement behind my back? I don't want to go with you even if my life depended on it! And why did you need me for? I heard you've gotten really popular after that show ended."

Kamiyama pouted. "Hoooooonma! Can't we be friends again... like how we used to be when we're younger?"

The two started arguing again after that as Ainosuke suddenly felt warmth inside his heart. Somehow... for some reason, seeing that this guy named Honma still having someone who cared about him... warmed his heart. As if he was seeing...

"Thank you... Honma-san."

Honma and Kamiyama froze as he turned towards Ainosuke. "Pardon? Did you say something... kid?"

Ainosuke grinned. "I felt better now. Thanks for cheering me up."

Honma stared at him dumbfounded before Kamiyama continued dragging him towards the car. Ainosuke smiled before turning around to head home.

"I'll always be with you... Ainosuke. Even if you can't see me anymore."

He gasped as he turned back. But Honma and Kamiyama had already left. So that voice just now...?

Ainosuke sighed to himself as he turned to head towards home. Looking at the sky, he smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm all right now. Finally."

I always wanna write a TGZ2 fic... hmm...

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